


Christmas Eve y'all

by queer_esque



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Alex and Henry together at Christmas, Canon Compliant, Christmas, M/M, Post-Canon, also swearing, but really it's Alex and Henry being soft, parents fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:08:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21962608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queer_esque/pseuds/queer_esque
Summary: Alex and Henry spend Christmas Eve together after the election is over.There is some fighting (the parents), there is some fluff and there is some fluffy future talk.(Give me a break it's Christmas)
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Comments: 14
Kudos: 290





	Christmas Eve y'all

**Author's Note:**

> Official working title: Christmas fic GET IT DONE AND UP TODAY YOU MOTHERFUCKER. Basically, I am trying to get shit done and written in my Christmas break and I'm very lonely and single. 
> 
> Seriously, bear with me, I was just rejected.
> 
> All mistakes, canonical and otherwise, are mine because this shit's unbetaed. 
> 
> Merry Christmas y'all

Not only Senator Oscar Diaz will be joining the Christmas Celebration: this year it will also include Prince Henry of Wales as well as Senator Rafael Luna, all of whom will participate in the First Family’s Christmas Eve celebrations.  
-Washington Post, December 23, 2020

Alex watches his mother pull her ‘spending time with his father’ face of pursed lips and twitching two fingers. He really has a million other things to do: there is school work, newspapers to dissect or he could wade through the files his mother unceremoniously dumped on his bed. (He’s off any sort of work for the Presidency because he was deemed impossible to stay neutral, but he’s ghost-written or proof-read quite a few things.) Instead, this year he helps decorate which feels sort of like a suicide mission, peppered with a lot of ‘Diaz’-calling from his mother. This time of year, it feels more like an insult.

His dad’s usual bedroom has been prepared and the Queen’s Bedroom has once again been made for Henry even though Alex doubts Henry will spend much time in there beyond the basic thinly-veiled courtesy of pretending.

His dad arrives first. He looks more scraggly than normal because he went straight from the office onto a plane, his beard slightly more prominent than usual but he’s still wearing an impeccable suit. June hogs him first as always, pulling him away to the ground floor as they immediately start a long conversation about a draft of her memoir that she’s send him, but Alex doesn’t really mind it this time. He’s waiting for someone else.

So is Zahra, although she’s showing it less. The only thing that gives her away is that when she finishes her ever-present coffee thermos, she pulls another identical one out of the bag and starts taking furious sips. Alex raises his eyebrows at her and she flips him the finger, her engagement catching the light.

Christmas dinner is once again happening on Christmas Eve, this time because Alex won’t be able to make it tomorrow. He’s flying out with Henry at a fuck-me hour in the morning on Christmas day to have dinner with Bea and Catherine, just the four of them.

It feels nerve-wracking in a way that he hasn’t felt in a while. The presidential election has consumed him for so long that when Henry hesitantly suggested this arrangement, Alex just agreed.

But now he – holy fuck – actually has to do it.

Not that he’s worried about Bea or Catherine – they both like him (or if Catherine doesn’t, she won’t say anything in an effort to make amends to Henry) but he’s worried about his parents. They’ve been very nice to each other lately, a leftover from having to fix all the damage he’d done to the campaign, so much so that winning the presidency was somewhat of a joint victory for them.

But Christmas? Spending time together?

Alex dismisses the worries quickly when he hears Zahra’s sharp intake of breath and when he looks up, there are Shaan and Henry walking through the door and he’s too distracted to think of anything else but Henry, kissing Henry and hugging Henry tight. Suddenly June is there too, hugging and smiling and kissing and it’s all good.

The evening is spent drinking coffee, eating cookies and laughing and at night Alex sneaks into Henry’s room although technically they weren’t put in the same room for a reason and it’s wonderful to see him again.

The next day brings balcony rituals and more cookies, hanging out with Henry and June, with Alex only slightly worried about the dinner to come.

And it really is better this year, so far so that Alex feels silly for having worried. Rafael Luna comes this year too because he’s become part of the family. So are Zahra, Shaan, and Henry and it feels good and right to have all these people who live so close to his heart gathered in one room.

Alex has picked out another ridiculous Christmas jumper to annoy Zahra with, one with a 3-D Santa on it that you can make pop out and come toward you and Zahra presses her lips together, narrows her eyes at him and digs her finger into Shaan’s jacket, but she doesn’t say anything until she notices that Alex made Henry wear his sweater from last year. Henry jolts when Alex presses the button to play the music, obviously not expecting it.

“You have got to be kidding me,” she mutters. “I’d rather you little shits still hated each other. Now it sort of feels like you’re ganging up on me.”

Dinner is nice and pleasant and Alex feels comfortable, but just when he starts to relax, it happens.

While casually cutting his meat, Oscar Diaz says, “Have you guys checked out the option of other mail servers?”

Leo puts his fork down from his mouth and June frowns. Alex breathes deeply, hoping that this won’t go where he thinks it will.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ellen responds, lifting her eyebrow. “Do you think it’s not secure enough?”

“I know it’s not secure enough. In fact, so does the entire country. They’ve all read Alex’s private emails, haven’t they?”

“That was one time and they targeted Alex especially. You can’t compare that. And I don’t even use that email address for any of the important things.” Her southern drawl is getting more prominent with every word.

“Well, still. I feel it’s time to upgrade the security on web-”

Ellen slams her fork down. “It’s a good thing you’re not the president then, isn’t it?”

“I’m just saying…”

“Trying to tell me how to do my job? I got it! I was re-elected for Christ’s sake!”

“Guys,” June says. “Please.”

“No, go on,” Ellen says, waving a dismissive hand at June. “What could I do better? Is there anything I’m missing?”

“As a matter of fact…”

“Stop!” Alex says loudly. He promised himself that he wouldn’t flee the table tonight but he can’t help raising his voice. “Stop it! If you can’t get along, then what’s the point of this? Should we start having two Christmases again, one in California and one here? I brought my boyfriend this year because I thought you could fucking stop acting like y’all are a bunch of middle schoolers who just broke up but apparently you can’t! Should I start looking for other places to celebrate?”

This gets their attention and Oscar mumbles an apology under his breath before he starts in on his food again, but Alex isn’t hungry anymore, only picking at his food for the rest of the meal and retiring early to lie in the dark, and the others leave him alone.

It’s almost one in the morning when Alex hears the door open to his bedroom. He knows exactly who it is, but he doesn’t move. The flight to Heathrow leaves in a couple of hours but he can’t sleep because he’s tense, angry and ashamed. He’s so mad at his parents who couldn’t get it together for Christmas and that their guests had to see this but he feels instantly comforted when Henry slips an arm under his and slides in behind him, stomach to back.

“Are you aware that you gave me the devil’s own Christmas jumper? Every time I moved even an inch, that stupid thing started playing a Christmas tune.”

Alex snorts and then whispers “sorry” into the dark of his room. After a second, he whispers, “Not just for the sweater, well, not at all for the sweater. That was on purpose. For my…” He clears his throat. “For my parents.”

Henry hums and Alex can feel it everywhere. “It’s okay. I now understand why you called me last year and I’m glad I’m here this year.”

“I’m glad you’re here too,” Alex says, closing his eyes for a second before opening them again. “But it’s like, why can’t they just fucking try for one Christmas. They could just not say anything to each other and it would be fine but no, they can’t help themselves.”

Henry hugs him tighter and Alex burrows back into him. “It’s going to be okay,” Henry whispers into his neck, his breath making Alex shiver. “I’m sure they’ll figure it out. Maybe you can help them – and I can promise you it will never be like that when you and I-” he stops.

“When you and I what?” Alex asks, shifting against Henry a little. When he stays silent, he turns around more fully. “When you and I what, H?” he asks.

In the darkness, Henry’s eyes seem black. He hesitates. “When you and I are married. That’s what I was going to say.”

“Oh,” Alex says and something in his chest implodes. “Oh. Baby.”

Henry sighs a little like he was scared to say it out loud. “I’m not proposing and I’m not saying that it’ll be soon, but…one day. I promise not to fight with you on Christmas. And that from now on, I’ll be there when your parents do. On Christmas. I mean, if you want me to.”

“Yes,” Alex says, blinking, trying to find Henry’s eyes. Blindly, he leans forward and presses a kiss that aims toward Henry’s mouth but lands mostly on his cheek. “Thank you. I love you.”

And when they settle in, Henry whispers, “I love you too,” into his hair and maybe this Christmas is salvageable after all. Maybe it’ll just get better from here.


End file.
